Becoming M. Hodson

There are so many aspects of our lives that make up who we are. Past mistakes, current events, and future aspirations all contribute to who we are. What exactly lies within those ambiguous statements? Everything from your race, religion, and even occupation. As a pre-service teacher I have thought long and hard about my identity as a teacher, but never did I consider it to be so multi-dimensional before.

I learned that the act of transitioning from student to teacher does not look the same for everyone. The feelings that are often brought up by teachers are anxiety, ambiguity, and even control issues. These feelings are not pretty and by no means encompass the entire pre-service experience, but the feelings are similar in many drastic life transitions.

I also learned that within the teaching community comes a discourse. This is a type of work culture that pre-service teachers must learn to navigate. This is everything from the language used in the staff room to the silent expectations of student behaviour. Discourse is in every work place, but in teaching the cost of such culture sometimes ignores student and teacher needs.

Discourse describes a normal. These expectation encourages teachers not to stray from the norm.

This discussion held student teachers at the heart of it all, and as a pre-service teacher myself I found that I was already asking myself these important questions. I was able to connect easily to the fear and uncertainty because I face those challenges myself.

I also connected to the idea of discourse. Fortunately, I attend a university that puts student teachers in the classroom in the very first year. It is in the staffroom that I encounter an entirely different ecosystem that feels like I’m on another planet.

I fear that in my practice I may stray from the norm, and so I often wonder how far I can stray from the teacher ideals?

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Author: Hayley Hodson

I have known I wanted to be a teacher my entire life. I never had a doubt in my mind of what I wanted to be in this world. Even though I was certain of the end goal, I never stopped to wonder what the journey to get to that point would look like. This blog is it. This blog is the messy middle where I transition from student to teacher. Every thought and belief I have and learn throughout my education is posted to this blog in order to document my journey in becoming a teacher. I invite you all to join me as I strive to become more than just a teacher, but also a kind and inclusive citizen.
View all posts by Hayley Hodson

2 thoughts on “Becoming M. Hodson”

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”
“The hardest thing when you think about focusing. You think focusing is about saying “Yes.” No. Focusing is about saying “No.” And when you say “No,” you piss off people.”

Just a couple of Steve Jobs quotes that I suspect might further your passion on this topic. Personally, when I consider a “teachers identity” that is their own personal identity. No matter who you are or what you do, your ways of interacting, communicating, and working will all be unique to yourself, and that based upon your identity as a person. Some people will argue that there are professional and personal identities, but I believe for you do be the best you can be, you will be the same person at school as you are at home (with slight differences in your interactions based entirely on professionalism, not identity).

You are right to suspect that being different will cause pressure. People like the norm, they like common sensical thought processes. In order to be innovative, different, and battle the norm, you will be in a constant questioning period where people ask about your “teacher ideals” and the battle of the norms. Just know if you stay on the route of questioning the norm, and rethinking ideals, you will stay innovative, and you will almost be guaranteed to be doing what’s best for the students learning and growth (or maybe it’s a misstep, but this is also part of growth and just makes innovation stronger!).

Thank you for those encouraging words. Sometimes it’s hard to stay true to yourself and tray from the norm, especially in your profession. I hope I can meet others around me who can help their students thrive in the unconventional.